New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-12
RETRIRETIIE LISIICE.

RETRIBCTITE JUSTICE.
The Anarchists were put to death like ordi-
nary murdcrcrs. Police precautions were null
tipicd in the Jail and outside. but the law
took It's course without excitement or any
unusual incidents. At the scailold there was
neither unsccmly delay, nor Official bung'lng
nor stlpcrfu0us agony. The four condemned
men showed no signs of contrltion, but met
their awful fate with mingled feelings OF
bravado and indifference, stolidty and Fri
volity In this they differed from other muir
dcrcrs but in no other respect. By its fruits
alone shall men know the gaows-trcc. Those
four quivcring forms hanging in the sombrc
court Of the Jail were murdcrers who had
paid the extreme penalty OF HE Tor Il 'ic
Their crime was murder. although they pro-
fcsscd TO have social objects In view ana to
be rcfomcrs after their kind. With these
professions the law did not have angat 10 do.
They mad banded themselves together in u
conspiracy against human life ana as muir
dcrcrs their own lives were forfeited. As
murdcrcrs they should be buried Guic,y and
al the expense of the State, wthou. de-
monstrations Of mawkiSh or morbid sympathy
on the part of the working classes. The
municipal authorities will make
serious miSlakd if they tolerate
mock hcrocs or funeral pagcantS in the Sirccts
and cemeteries. The majesty of the law has
been vindicatcd Rctributivc justice should
not now be diScrcditcd as a mockcry.
American working people should not be
deceived by the false pleas made on behalf
of these mudcrcrs. II is not true that these
men were condemned to death for their opn-
ions respecting law and society. They have
been known as Anarchists plotting revolt
against existing institutions and striking down
the police as "thc hirclings Of tyrannical cap
italsts." As Anarchists they were neither
disturbed nor mcnaccd until they dcficd the
Dccaloguc proclaimed from Sinai and became
murdcrcrs before the law Where on the face
Of the earth could they have found more civil
liberty than they enjoyed in Illinois? They
had government by the people; they had
thoroughly democratic Institutions they had
newspaper Of their own and all the liberty,
not TO say license which a free press and
equally free speech confer and they had I'M
restricted privileges Of forming secret socic-
ties and even Of drilling and carrying arms.
They were not pcrSccutcd for their opinions
but rather protected in their rights. so long
rs they were noh guilty Of crimes against
their fcilow-mcn. n they had remained the
social missionaries they assumed TO he, and
had been content with teaching pcaccablv
what they chose to consider a gospel Of de- +
livcrancc for the oppressed working 'h>ScS.
they would have continued 10 have protection
as citizens Of n free country. They became
murdcrcrs and as murdcrcrs they have been
hanged The law docs not discriminate in
favor Of crime nor did the courts con1onc =
capital offence by reason Of the peculiar social
opinions held by these murdcrcrs. Rctrb- ,
u,vc Justice was mctcd ont for the crime, not |
for the opinions
It is Of the highest importance that tho /
precise significance Of the hangman's work
yesterday shoui1 he appreciated not only by
working people in the humber walks Of life,
but by all classes Of American society. Let il
not be said that in this free country any group
Of misguided mon have been sent to the gal
lows for anything save their crimes; that
American tribunals under the menace Of Euro
pcan Socialism have sought In sclf-dcicncc
to protect society by unusual meth
DDS Of procedure and novel ideas Of criminal
law; that rioting has been made a capital
offence or Indictment to conspiracy species
Of high treason. or that Prince Bsmarck'a
code has been adopted rs a con
vcnicnt means Of sitting social agitation and
redress for real grievances on the
part Of less favored classes Of the community.
1t will be "A most unfortunate effect OF ycslcr-
days work if dcspotlc governments under the
reflex influence Of the Chicago executions
seek to justify their disregard Of the political
wrongs and economic evils with which the
hard lot Of their own working classes is now
doudcd They will not have just cause to
do this.
American law does not discriminate against
classes. political opinions and social theories.
1t Furnishes murdcrers even when found mas
Qucfading as social missionaries and rcformcrS.
but Furnishes them for murder and nothing
else II is just; it is mcrciful, as two COM
of sentence in Chicago attest but
It's face is set Stcrnly and ncxorably against
atrOcious crime. 1t il not an agency Of pOlit- !
cal oppression. II is the main bulwark Of
civil liberty and free speech.
1RBI7RITTON AND VAR.
The Presidents commonplace in reply to